LNG Carrier and Tanker Successfully Towed to Safety by Suez Canal Authorities

Adm. Ossama Rabiee, Chairman and Managing Director of the Suez Canal Authority, has announced that the SCA’s maritime salvage tugboats have successfully handled the navigational emergencies and technical failure sustained by an LNG carrier and a tanker during their transit through the Canal amongst the north convoy in the early morning hours of Wednesday.

SCA Chairman clarified that a slight contact has occurred between the LNG carrier BW LESMES and the tanker BURRI that followed, as BW LESMES made a sudden stop in the water way at km 144 (Canal marking) due to a technical failure in steering and machinery which led to loss of steering.

SCA tugboats have succeeded in handling the navigational emergency situation by towing and mooring the tanker BURRI, while connecting the tow lines of four other tug boats to the broken-down carrier LESMES and commencing its towing operation.

H.E. has stated that initial inspections have showed that there were no significant damages or any pollution incidents in the vicinity of the LNG carrier and the tanker.

However, the crew of the tanker BURRI has reported a sudden steering failure that require the towing assistance of SCA tugboats until the failure is repaired; whereas two SCA tugboats "MISR AL GADEEDA" and "MOSAHEB 3" were deployed to tow the tanker.

The Singapore-flagged LNG carrier BW LESMES is 295 mtrs long, 46 mtrs in width, and is of a tonnage of 121,000 tonnes, while the tanker BURRI is approx. 250 m. in length, 44 m. in width, and is of a tonnage of 67,000 tonnes.

H.E. conveyed a message of assurance that navigation will be back to normal in both directions within few hours, as the north convoy will resume its transit once the tanker BURRI is towed outside the navigational waterway.